Jacob j



Patented Feb. l4, I899.

No. 6l9,357.

.LJ. SOUDER. ADJUSTABLE BEARING FOB RAILWAY CAR TRUSS RODS.

(Application flld No'v. 9, 1897.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT JACOB J. SOUDER, OF \VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ADJUSTABLE BEARING FOR RAILWAY-CAR TRUSS-RODS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 619,357, dated February 14, 1899.

Application filed November 9, 1897. $erial No. 657,938. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB J. SOUDER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Adjustable Bearing for Railway-Oar Truss-Rods, of which the following is a correct description.

The invention relates to a novel means for regulating the strain or tension upon trussrods of railway-cars and the like, the object being to equalize the pressure upon such supporting-rods or to readily vary it at pleasure.

The invention consists in the combination, with the bed-frame or body of a railway-car or other analogous structure and with a plain longitudinal truss-rod arranged thereunder, of a shaft,spiudle, or standard which is loosely supported upon the truss-rod and a detachable hearing which is received upon the shaft, spindle, or standard in contact with the body of the car or with a fixed projection thereof and which is adjustable up or down upon the shaft,spindle,or standard to vary the pressure upon the car or other structure and upon the truss-rod thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of this specification, Figure 1 is an elevation showing a broken section of the body of a car which has my improved tensionregulating appliance secured thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical section in a plane at a right angle with the center of Fig. 1.

As the invention is here represented, a saddle c bestrides a truss-rod Z), which extends longitudinally along the car a, directly below one of the sills thereof, the extremities of the truss-rod being suitably secured to the bedframe, preferably to one of the transverse sills thereof. The saddle chas a chamber or cavity ch, which is open at its bottom and at its ends, but is closed at its sides and partially closed at its top, where it has a single circular opening 00. Within the saddle-chamber is received the straight-sided, shouldered, and recessed enlargement or bearing-foot do of the shaft or standard (Z, which by its recess or groove-like cavity (Zc rests upon the truss-rod b and which by its main portion extends upwardly to and is loosely received within avertical passage e,which is formed in the sill of the car or in a metallic bearing lug or stud f,which by bolts fat or otherwise is made fast to the sill of the car, as seen in Fig. 1. The central or mid-height portion of the shaft or standard d is screw-threaded, as represented, to receive, successively, a closing and bearing nut g, a holding or securing nut h, and an adjustable not or bearing t, the latter of which receives pressure due to the weight of the car and its contents and transfers it through the standard to the body of the truss-rod. The holding-nut h is turned to its place when the nut i has been suitably adjusted. The nut 9 serves to cover the opening 00 in the top of the sad dle and to aid in maintaining the standard in its proper relation to the saddle and to the passage or way 6. A split pin or cotter-key 70, extending transversely through the Walls of the saddle c in a plane slightly below the body of the truss-rod, is of advantage in limiting up -and-down movement of such rod when tension thereon has been relaxed by discharge of the contents of the car.

Although in the drawings only a single hearing shaft or standard is represented, it will be understood that in cars of considerable length the use of two or more of these appliances will be advantageous, as affording greater facility in equalizing the pressure upon the bed-frame and upon the truss-rod, and thus increasing the stiffness and rigidity of the truss and maintaining it in its slightlyarched form.

It is well known that a nut has been applied upon a threaded shank in connection with a truss-rod of a car to vary the strain upon the same, and it will be understood that I do not broadly claim such a nut.

The invention having been thus described, what is claimed is- 1. The combination with the body or bedframe of a railway-car, of a plain truss-rod of uniform construction, arranged longitudinally under the car; a saddle which bestrides the truss-rod and which has a straight-sided bottom chamber or cavity; a shaft or standard which by its lower portion fits the chamber or cavity of the straight-sided saddle, and which in its upper portion is screw-threaded; and an adjustable nut or bearing which is movable upon the shaft to bear variably against the body or bed-frame of the car.

2. The truss-rod b of uniform configuration the saddle 0, having the straight-sided chain her or cavity ch, and the top opening 00; the screw-threaded shaft or standard 01, having straight-sided bearing-foot da, to fit the chamber oh, and the bottom groove dc, to fit the truss-rod b; the stud f, having central pas sage, as shown; the covering and bearing nut g, upon the top of the saddle c; and the adjustable bearing-nut 'i, coincident with the stud f; in combination with the body or bedframe a, of the car; substantially as shown IO and described. v

In testimony whereof I have hereto aflixed my signature this 8th day of November, 1897.

JACOB J. SOUDER.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM F. BOOGHER, FRANCIS M. LEARY. 

